QUICK NOTESAfter a weekend on its own at Nashville, the NASCAR Busch Series rejoins the NASCAR Winston Cup Series this weekend at one of America's most historic tracks, Darlington Raceway. The 1.366 mile track, which opened in 1950, has hosted the NASCAR Busch Series each year since the inception of the series in 1982, and Saturday's Dura-Lube 200 by Pep Boys will be the 27th event to be run at the track. The Dura-Lube 200 by Pep Boys will get the green flag at 1 p.m. (EST) Saturday and will be broadcast live by MRN Radio. The race will not have live television coverage, but will be shown on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. (EST) Saturday on a same-day delay basis. Drivers will face another pressure-packed qualifying session for the event, as NASCAR officials have received more than 55 entries for a limited 42-car field. Drivers will have only one chance to make the field in a qualifying session at 2 p.m. (EST) Friday March 22nd. The Dura-Lube 200 by Pep Boys will be the sixth event of the 26-race 1996 schedule for the NASCAR Busch Series and carries a purse of $293,282. Starting up front seems to be crucial to winning at Darlington, at least in NASCAR Busch series races. Of the 26 events that have been held, 15 have been won from the first three starting spots, including five from the pole. Larry Pearson, though, set conventional wisdom on its ear in last year's Spring race at Darlington by winning from 36th starting position, the lowest starting spot ever for a Darlington winner in the series. Pearson, the race's defending champion, returns to the scene of his greatest triumph in NASCAR racing. The two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion won last year's race to snap out of a winless streak that dated back to 1988. But Pearson's win was important for other reasons, too. His legendary father, David, scored 10 NASCAR Winston Cup wins at Darlington during his career, and Larry had often felt the pressure of trying to carry on the family tradition. The win in last year's race by his oldest son was so moving to David Pearson that he admitted to tears after the race. David, who had been present at the track all weekend, drove out of the track's tunnel with only a few laps left in the race and heard the finish on his car radio. With Larry on the way to victory, David left the track, he said, because he didn't want anyone to see him cry. David returned to the track later and had a joyful reunion with Larry. With the exception of Larry Pearson's win last March, Darlington Raceway has been Mark Martin's playground the past few years. Martin won the most recent race at the track last September, and has won four of the last five NASCAR Busch Series races at Darlington. He finished third in the race Pearson won. In 16 NASCAR Busch Series starts at Darlington, Martin has four wins, six top five finishes, eight top 10 finishes and three Busch Poles. Last year, Jeff Fuller and Curtis Markham battled it out all season for the Rookie of the Year Award on the NASCAR Busch Series, won by Fuller by a small margin. This season, Fuller seems to have been hit by the infamous "sophomore jinx," while Markham is flourishing. Going into this weekend's event at Darlington, Markham is third in the series point standings and has scored three fifth-place finishes in the five races held, including a fifth in the most recent race at Nashville. The Virginian has also qualified in the top 20 for all five races. "I have to give all of the credit to the team," said Markham, who drives for car owner Hubert Hensley. The Hensley team won the 1990 series title with driver Chuck Bown. "This team has really worked hard, and the new Pontiac body style has helped a lot." Fuller, on the other hand, is struggling this season after a stellar rookie year. The former NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour champion has failed to qualify for two races, and has not finished higher than 24th. "This is pretty discouraging, but we're not going to give up," said Fuller. "Things will turn around."
